Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools,

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When the writer Donovan Hohn heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. Hohn's accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive arena of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories. Moby-Duck is a journey into the heart of the sea and an adventure through science, myth, the global economy, and some of the worst weather imaginable.

Review:

"The book [is] by turns light-hearted and serious but always a pleasure to read....Moby-Duck is highly readable and, importantly, alive with a sense of intellectual curiosity. Indeed, what Melville did for whaling, Hohn has done for plastic bath toys lost at sea." The Boston Globe

Review:

"Hohn cleverly uses the deceptively whimsical premise of chasing a little plastic duck to provoke a massively complicated and thought-provoking conversation. Who knew spilled bath toys could be so important?" Chicago Sun-Times

Review:

"Donovan Hohn ships out with an engaging Moby-Duck...an exploration in every sense [Moby-Duck] will remind readers of the best of John McPhee and Ian Frazier. And maybe, even, of the weird and wonderful Herman Melville himself." The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer

Review:

"[E]ntertaining but also philosophic....[Donovan Hohn's] quest is puckish, profound and as irresistible as the yellow bath toy itself." People

Review:

"[D]azzling...Hohn seems to have it all: deep intelligence, a strikingly original voice, humility and a hunger to suss out everything a yellow duck may literally or metaphorically touch." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

About the Author

Donovan Hohn is a journalist whose work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, the New York Times Magazine and Outside. He is currently the features editor at GQ. Moby-Duck was nominated as the runner-up for for the 2011 PEN/ E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Hohn lives in New York City.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

cominguplray, November 12, 2012 (view all comments by cominguplray)
This was a delightful and adventurous romp around the globe following the path of 30,000 rubber duckies that were lost from a cargo ship in a storm in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. What I thought was going to be an intense look at ocean currents and the environmental impact of such an event, turned out to be a look at every part of this story, from the factory in China that makes the toys to the beachcombers in every part of the world who scour the shores for treasures to the studies of currents in both the Atlantic and Pacific to the author's trip through the Northwest Passage. It was a great and entertaining read, and one that I would definitely recommend

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"Review"
by The Boston Globe,
"The book [is] by turns light-hearted and serious but always a pleasure to read....Moby-Duck is highly readable and, importantly, alive with a sense of intellectual curiosity. Indeed, what Melville did for whaling, Hohn has done for plastic bath toys lost at sea."

"Review"
by Chicago Sun-Times,
"Hohn cleverly uses the deceptively whimsical premise of chasing a little plastic duck to provoke a massively complicated and thought-provoking conversation. Who knew spilled bath toys could be so important?"

"Review"
by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer,
"Donovan Hohn ships out with an engaging Moby-Duck...an exploration in every sense [Moby-Duck] will remind readers of the best of John McPhee and Ian Frazier. And maybe, even, of the weird and wonderful Herman Melville himself."

"Review"
by People,
"[E]ntertaining but also philosophic....[Donovan Hohn's] quest is puckish, profound and as irresistible as the yellow bath toy itself."

"Review"
by The New York Times Book Review,
"[D]azzling...Hohn seems to have it all: deep intelligence, a strikingly original voice, humility and a hunger to suss out everything a yellow duck may literally or metaphorically touch."

"Review"
by Janet Maslin, The New York Times,
"Adventurous, inquisituve and brightly illuminating....[Moby-Duck] works as a lively travelogue as well as a voyage of discovery and philosophical inquiry."

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